Commencement

We stood
under a blistering sun,
reflecting on older days,
contemplating new beginnings.

Do you see?
her eyes brimmed with hope.He’s good!
her zeal showed no signs of slowing.He’s GOOD!
her braids bounced joyfully with the rest of her bodyTo YOU!

Not at all spiritual niceties,
these were words spoken
from deep knowing,
from messy sharing of lives.
She has walked much
of this shadowed road before us
and has seen
the fears, the angst, the unknown
juggled with the healing, the growth, the obedience.

Eyes and heart brimming,
I could simply grin my agreement with her,
understanding anew that
sometimes His goodness points us first
toward redemption of what was broken
before it leads us to the place of goodnesswe dreamt for ourselves.